Tag: Epstein files

Ask A Genius 1567: Epstein Files, Ukraine Sanctions, and the Fraying Power of Trump

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In this interview, Scott Douglas Jacobsen speaks with Rick Rosner about newly surfaced Epstein emails in which Jeffrey Epstein derides Donald Trump and alleges he “knew about the girls,” alongside Trump’s sliding approval ratings amid a 43-day shutdown. They connect this weakening support to razor-thin Republican margins in Congress and Trump’s ongoing use of executive power, from rebranding the Pentagon as the “Department of War” to a private White House ballroom project. The discussion then shifts to the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting, Canada’s sanctions on Russia, the “shadow fleet” moving sanctioned oil, and the realities of independent war reporting.

Ask A Genius 1519: Tariffs, TV Craft, and ‘Alien: Earth’—Flies Eat Wires

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Scott Douglas Jacobsen and Rick Rosner juggle craft and crisis. Rosner laments stalled co-writing with Carole, a brutal publishing landscape, and an idle agent, while praising their dialogue instincts. On politics, Donald Trump’s tariffs win a 213–211 House nod; Rosner cites Herbert Hoover and Smoot-Hawley as a warning, and notes security funding hikes, a near-complete Epstein-files petition, and data showing right-wing violence eclipses left. In culture, Alien: Earth’s “The Fly” teases smarter creatures; flies reportedly feed on electronics as Wendy bonds with a juvenile xenomorph. Finally, Gavin Newsom’s sharper messaging contrasts GOP spin, and “xeno xenophobia” lands the joke.

Ask A Genius 1515: Space Dread, Crypto Skepticism, and Political Math

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In episode five, Scott Douglas Jacobsen and Rick Rosner trade notes: slow-burn sabotage aboard Alien’s ship, a tagline homage, and brutal deaths. Rosner pivots to crypto skepticism—pump-and-dumps, a small Bitcoin gain—and survivors of Jeffrey Epstein demanding files. Politics intrude: Donald Trump blasted on jobs and unions, Kim Jong-un cozy with Vladimir Putin, India’s tilt questioned. Rosner recalls adolescent mental math, praises Srinivasa Ramanujan, and lauds puzzle work by Dean Inada and Chris Cole. Timeline lore surfaces around SB Wire. Pop-Tarts, Rotten Tomatoes, and a tick-egg horror beat punctuate. ICE raids and an Eswatini deportation plan round out the grim news.